Don't Stop Believing
by bougeotte
Summary: What happens when Sonny passes away? REVISED VERSION. I fixed it because there were some problems with the plot. One-shot. Zora's POV. Don't worry, no Chad/Zora romance! Channy. Rated T for character death and a little cussing.


**Disclaimah! I do not own Sonny With A Chance, Journey, or Don't Stop Believing.**

**Hey, here's a depressing little one-shot that those stupid plot bunnies forced me to start before I went to bed. It's not really a songfic, but it mentions and is named after the song. Very sad Channy. Implied Tawnico. And, OKAY, if you ****close one eye and squint** really hard with the other so you can't see shit (Virtual cookies if you got the Shane Dawson/Shanaynay reference!), some Zora/Chad. HOWEVER, I see it as more of a friendship. Whatever, think what you want, I'm not here to judge! :) It's set in Zora's point of view, because I wanted a unique angle to it. Anyway, here ya go! Flashbacks in italics.

**I edited this version, because I know there were some mistakes in the plot.**

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep._

Allison Monroe's heart stops. Literally.

Tawni is screaming at the doctor. Chad is lying on the floor, passed out. Nico is gaping in shock, unwilling to accept the truth. Grady is unconscious in his own hospital bed, oblivious to the commotion. And I am watching this whole scene unfold from my haven in the hospital's vents, where no one can find me.

Sonny. No. She can't die. She's like an older sister to me! She's the only one who can really deal with the Mackenzies. She fixes the catastrophes caused by Nico and Grady. She calms down Tawni when she's upset and always seems to know what to do. Most importantly, she's the only person I've ever seen Chad truly care about.

_Flashback:_

_Tawni, Sonny, Nico, Grady, and I are driving back from an amazing day at Disneyland. We're in Tawni's Tahoe, so she's driving. Sonny's in the passenger seat, and I'm sandwiched in between Tweedle Dim and Tweedle Dimmer in the backseat._

_We're all rocking out to Sonny's all-time favorite song, Journey's "Don't Stop Believing," _**(A/N: Don't lie, we've all rocked out to that song at one time or another! lol)**_ when the truck hits us._

_It's an old blue pick-up truck, and it comes from the right. It slams into the side of the Tahoe, which crumples under the force of the collision. We pretty much all black out when we hit a huge oak tree on the side of the road._

_When I wake up, I'm in a hospital bed. I look around, taking note of my friends in similar beds surrounding me. I sit up, and I see Chad sitting next to Sonny's bed, squeezing her hand. Her eyes are closed, and his are letting the waterfall of tears fall without a fight._

_He doesn't try to hide his tears when he notices me. Instead, he fills me in on what happened. Somebody called 911 after seeing the car crash. The drunk driver that hit us was killed on contact. Grady has a broken wrist—nothing serious. Nico, Tawni, and I are just fine, except for some cuts and bruises. But Sonny… Sonny is not okay. She has gashes upon bruises upon broken bones. She has serious head trauma, hurling her into a coma. She is in critical condition._

_Tawni and Nico wake up some time after that, and I help Chad inform them of the events. Nico stands by Chad, Tawni flings her arms protectively over Sonny, and I escape to the vents. I run away. I am a coward. I curl up I the vent and cry. I cry and cry and cry. When I think I'm ready to come out, that's when the monitor stops._

The doctors try to revive her, they really do, but it can't be done. She's gone. Sonny Monroe is dead.

_**Two weeks later.**_

I look around at my cast mates and Chad. Nico, Grady, and Tawni look disheveled and depressed, but Chad looks about ready to kill himself. His turquoise eyes are puffy and red and there are deep shadows beneath them. He's been wearing the same black T-shirt and jeans for three days, and seems to have stopped caring about hygiene. I've always known he loved her, but I never expected this to hit him so hard.

"Alright," I pipe up, "I've called you here because I want to talk about Sonny's… funeral." I force myself to say the last word. "I think we should all write letters to Sonny and have them all put into a box and buried with her. Sonny would have liked that."

Nico and Grady nod in approval and Tawni seems to like the idea, too. Chad flashes a tiny smile as a tear slides down his cheek. He swipes it away carelessly.

I am determined to make Sonny proud.

_**At Sonny's funeral.**_

Today is the day we say goodbye. Sonny's pale, still body rests, concealed in a casket, before her family and friends. It is a small funeral, only including her family members, Marshall, Tawni, Nico, Grady, Chad, Lucy, and myself. I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and clutch my letter to Sonny with clammy hands. An unfamiliar man stands beside the casket, reading from a thick book. When he asks if anyone would like to say something, Connie is the first to volunteer.

She reads her letter to her daughter and places it in a shoebox decorated by Tawni and me, weeping the entire time. Mr. Munroe is next, then Sonny's older brother. Sonny's aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, Lucy, Marshall, Nico, and Grady each give their speeches. It is Tawni's turn. She walks slowly to the front and begins to read.

"Dear Sonny. I don't want you to leave. I miss you so much. I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said to you. You were the only real friend I ever had, and now I have no one. Yes, I have my mother, my cast mates, and myself, but none of them are you. I'm so grateful to have had you in my life; I just wish you could have stayed. I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for everything. You never gave up on me, even when I was being a bitch to you. You were always there for me when I needed you. I just _want you back!_" By the end, Tawni is screaming and crying. She flings the paper into the box and collapses into her seat, bawling into Nico's shoulder. He doesn't say anything; he simply holds her close and strokes her hair.

I decide to read mine now. My hands are shaking, but I manage to speak in a clear voice.

"Sonny. Why did you have to go? I can't understand why you were taken away from us. You were the bravest person I ever knew. You never gave up, and I admire you so much. Rest in peace, Sonny. We love you." I carefully place my letter in the shoebox and walk away. I don't cry. I never cry. It shows weakness. And I will not be weak.

Finally, the last person to give his speech stands. Chad. I see the tears in his eyes and he shoots a glance at my direction. He will not cry, either.

_Flashback:_

_I crawl through the vents of Condor studios, looking for something to keep myself busy. I hear crying and go to investigate. Through the grate, I see Chad in his dressing room, sitting in front of a mirror and holding a picture of him and Sonny laughing. His body shakes and shudders with his loud sobbing. Suddenly, he stands and chucks the photo against the navy blue wall, screaming._

_"Well, that's not going to help anything," I blurt before I can stop myself. He looks up to the vent and I slide it open._

_"Wh-what?" he stutters._

_I don't even attempt to sugarcoat it. "Crying and screaming isn't going to bring her back. She's gone, Chad."_

_He looks as if I've hit him. "So, what, I just don't cry anymore?"_

_"Exactly. It helps if you don't look weak, even if you're dying on the inside. You can't let the pain get to you. You just got to grit your teeth and get through it."_

_"Okay." Did Chad Dylan Cooper just agree with me?_

_"Okay?"_

_"Okay. I'm done crying. I'm going to be strong. For Sonny." He looks more serious than I've ever seen him._

Chad's voice rings out, husky and broken. "Sonny, I love you. Not _loved_, _love_. I will always love you. I'll never forget. I promise. Yesterday, I made a promise to a friend that changed everything." I swallow the tears that threaten to spill when I hear him say that word. "I promised her that I would stop crying. It's not going to bring you back, and it's not going to help anything. I love you, Sonny Monroe. If you can hear me, don't you ever forget that." He puts his letter on top of the others and returns to his seat beside me.

"Thank you," he whispers in my ear.

"Anything for Sonny," I reply, smiling up at him.

**Sooo? How was it? Review! **** Do you like the Zora/Chad friendship? What about the POV? Lemme know! :D**


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